George groaned, “Are you making a fool of me?  I can see nothing but a barren hill with a few great bushes here and there.  You are never taking those bushes for beasts?”

Jacky smiled with utter scorn.  “White fellow stupid fellow; he see nothing.”

“Well and what does black fellow see?” snapped George.

“Black fellow see a crow coming from the sun, and when he came over there he turned and went down and not get up again a good while.  Then black fellow say, ‘I tink.’  Presently come flying one more crow from that other side where the sun is not.  Black fellow watch him, and when he come over there he turn round and go down, too, and not get up a good while.  Then black fellow say, ‘I know.’”

“Oh, come along!” cried George.

They hurried on; but when they came to the rising ground and bushes Jacky put his finger to his lips.  “Suppose we catch the black fellows that have got wings; you make thunder for them?”

He read the answer in George’s eye.  Then he took George round the back of the hill and they mounted the crest from the reverse side.  They came over it and there at their very feet lay one of George’s best bullocks, with tongue protruded, breathing his last gasp.  A crow of the country was perched on his ribs, digging his thick beak into a hole he had made in his ribs, and another was picking out one of his eyes.  The birds rose heavily, clogged and swelling with gore.  George’s eyes flashed, his gun went up to his shoulder, and Jacky saw the brown barrel rise slowly for a moment as it followed the nearest bird wobbling off with broad back invitingly displayed to the marksman.  Bang! the whole charge shivered the ill-omened glutton, who instantly dropped riddled with shot like a sieve, while a cloud of dusky feathers rose from him into the air.  The other, hearing the earthly thunder and Jacky’s exulting whoop, gave a sudden whirl with his long wing and shot up into the air at an angle and made off with great velocity; but the second barrel followed him as he turned and followed him as he flew down the wind.  Bang! out flew two handfuls of dusky feathers, and glutton No. 2 died in the air, and its carcass and expanded wings went whirling like a sheet of paper and fell on the top of a bush at the foot of the hill.

All this delighted the devil-may-care Jacky, but it may be supposed it was small consolation to George.  He went up to the poor beast, who died even as he looked down on him.

“Drought, Jacky! drought!” said he—­“it is Moses, the best of the herd.  Oh, Moses, why couldn’t you stay beside me?  I’m sure I never let you want for water, and never would—­you left me to find worse friends!” and so the poor simple fellow moaned over the unfortunate creature, and gently reproached him for his want of confidence in him that it was pitiful.  Then suddenly turning on Jacky he said gravely, “Moses won’t be the only one, I doubt.”